FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA / KFTA) – Fort Smith Police said they are working with event organizers to provide general protection and safety as well as traffic control during the Steel Horse Rally.

According to Fort Smith Police, Garrison Avenue will be restricted to motorcycles and emergency vehicles throughout the event to contain participants in the downtown area. The rest of the traffic will be routed around the area, which runs from 5th Street to 13th Street along Garrison Avenue.

There will also be areas of Garrison Avenue that will be affected due to closures and vehicle detours.

Garrison Avenue will be closed to everyone except motorcycles between 5th Street and 13th Street. The closures will last from 6:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. on Saturday and from 9 a.m. on Saturday to 2 a.m. on Sunday.

Police say the times can be adjusted based on traffic and sighting. Drivers can stay on Rogers Avenue until they reach 5th Street South, where they can drive to Garrison, then head west into Oklahoma.

Drivers heading east towards Fort Smith over the Garrison Avenue Bridge will take a detour to 5th Street. Drivers can turn south on 5th Street, then east on Rogers Avenue or north on 5th Street, then east on North A Street to bypass closed areas.

Motorcyclists participating in the event can enter these closed portions of Garrison Avenue, where the far-right eastbound and westbound lanes will remain open for movement or traffic, police said.

The parking of motorcycles will be authorized on the edge of the garrison between the closed parts as well as in the traffic lanes of the center. Fort Smith Police stress that motorcycles must be parked with the front tire on the yellow center line.

Police say all motorcycles must be removed from central lanes of traffic before the avenue opens to normal traffic at 2 a.m. They say any vehicle remaining in these lanes at that time will be towed at the owner’s expense.

A motorcycle procession will take place on Saturday at 4 p.m. The procession will begin at Fort Smith Park, head downtown on Riverfront Drive, and turn onto North A Street. The procession will continue east on North A Street until it reaches North 10th Street, where it will turn south, passing Cisterna Park, and turn west on Garrison Avenue and move into the closed section. motorcycles only. The motorcade will proceed to 6th Street, where it will return east to the gated portion of Garrison and end in the area of ​​9th Street and Garrison, where police say participants can park their motorcycles.

During the motorcade, traffic southbound on North 10th Street will be diverted east on North Street A. Police have said northbound traffic at Townson’s intersection to 11th Street is not expected to be affected. .

Drivers trying to enter Oklahoma will still be able to do so by driving up to Rogers Avenue and heading west to 5th, 4th or 3rd Street, then heading towards Garrison. Southbound traffic on streets that cross North A Street from 2nd Street to 9th Street will be blocked or reversed for alternate routes east and around the affected area.

The Fort Smith Police Department has said it wants to keep motorcyclists and the general public safe during the event by reminding drivers to recheck lanes of traffic before entering a public road. They say motorcycles can be harder to see, but have the same rights on the road as any vehicle.